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The Screen Actors Guild Awards, which aired on Sunday night amid protests against the president’s executive order jumped in to politics right from the beginning.
The executive order was a point of protest on the SAG Awards red carpet, with actors including Kerry Washington, who wore safety pins in solidarity with refugees, and The Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg and his wife, actress Jocelyn Towne, who appeared on the red carpet with a sign that read: “Refugees welcome.” Across Towne’s chest, it read: “Let Them In.”
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During the “I’m an actor” roundup, Kerry Washington, who wore a safety pin on her dress, also got political by noting, “Actors are activists no matter what, because we embody the worth of all people.”
Other actors also dropped hints; Jeff Bridges said he’s “the product of luck and nepotism,” Courtney B. Vance “decided not to listen” to naysayers and continued to “play” in his career, and Ellie Kemper joked that though she recently became a mother, “my greatest role is playing Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix.”
When Ashton Kutcher took the stage to start the show, he welcomed the crowd “and everyone in airports that belong in my America!
“We also welcome you to the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards….” he joked.
“You are part of the fabric of who we are, and we welcome you and we love you,” he continued.
Several award winners also addressed Trump’s controversial executive order and immigration ban in their acceptance speeches.
Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus who won best actress in a comedy series joked that the Russians “didn’t hack” the awards show and then on a serious note, she exclaimed that she was “horrified” by the immigrant ban, being the child of immigrants.
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“I am the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France and I am an American patriot,” Louis-Dreyfus said in part. “Because I love this country I am horrified by its blemishes. The immigrant ban is a blemish and un-American.
She then read the WGA statement issued earlier today that she said she fully agrees with. http://www.wga.org/news-events/news/press/2017/solidarity-with-iranian-filmmaker-asghar-farhadi
Accepting his award for best actor in a comedy series, Shameless’ William H. Macy said he’d actually like to “thank President Trump for making the character of Frank Gallagher seem so normal.”
The cast of Orange Is the New Black won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series on Sunday night.
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Taylor Schilling addressed Trump’s immigration ban: “We stand up here representing a diverse group of people, representing generations of families who have sought a better life here,” Schilling said, as cast members shouted out their countries of origin.” We know that it’s going to be up to us and all of you to keep telling stories. What united us is stronger than the forces that seek to divide us.”
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Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali, who was award best male actor in a supporting role began with his speech with “I’m a Muslim.” He also addressed the fact that his mother, an ordained minister, “didn’t do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted.”
But now, he said, “we love each other.”
He continued: “When we get caught up in the minutiae and the details that make us all different. I think there’s two ways of seeing that. There’s the opportunity to see the texture of that person, the characteristics that make them unique, and then there’s an opportunity to go to war about it and say that this person is different from me, I don’t like you, let’s battle.”
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Sarah Paulson won best actress in a TV movie or miniseries for her portrayal of Marcia Clark in the first installment of Ryan Murphy’s latest anthology, American Crime Story. In her speech, she urged everyone to donate to the ACLU.
“I would like to make a plea to everyone if I can. If they have any money to spare, please donate to the ACLU, to protect the rights and liberties of people across this country,” she stated. “It’s a vital organization that relies entirely on our support, so please donate if you can.”
Bryan Cranston won for his portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in HBO’s “All the Way.”
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“I am often asked how would Lyndon Johnson think about Donald Trump and I honestly feel that 36 would put his arm around 45 and honestly wish him success,” Cranston said. “And he would also whisper in his year something he said often, as a form of encouragement and a cautionary tale, “Just don’t piss in the soup that all of us gotta eat.””
John Lithgow, who won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series on Sunday night thanked Meryl Streep for “voicing my exact thoughts at another awards show three weeks ago,” referencing the legendary actress’ speech at the Golden Globe awards. http://divergenow.com/news/2017/01/meryl-streeps-golden-globes-speech/
The cast of Stranger Things won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series on Sunday night.
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David Harbour delivered a passionate message of unity on behalf of the very excited cast.
“In light of everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s difficult to celebrate the already-celebrated Stranger Things, but this award from you who take your craft seriously and earnestly believe, like me, that great acting can change the world,” he said. “It is a call to arms from our fellow craftsmen and women to go deeper, and through our art to battle against fear, self-centeredness and exclusivity of our predominantly narcissistic culture and through our craft to cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society by revealing intimate truths that serve as a forceful reminder to folks that when they feel broken and afraid and tired, they are not alone.
“We are united in that we are all human beings and we are all together on this horrible, painful, joyous, exciting and mysterious ride that is being alive,” he added.
“Now, as we act in the continuing narrative of Stranger Things, we 1983 midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no home. We will get past the lies, we will hunt monsters. And when we are at a loss amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions. We will, as per Chief Jim Hopper, punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak, the disenfranchised and the marginalized!”
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La La Land’s Emma Stone won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role on Sunday night.
“We’re in a really tricky time in the world and in our country, and things are very inexcusable and need action,” she said. “I am honored to be part of a community that wants to reflect society.”
Hidden Figures won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture on Sunday night.
Taraji P. Henson said on behalf of the cast, “This film is about unity.”
“The shoulders of the women that we stand on are there American heroes: Kathryn Johsnon, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson. Without them, we would not know how to reach the stars,” she explained tearily.
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“These women did not complain about the problems, the issues the circumstances. They focused on solutions,” she continued. “Therefore, these brave women helped put brave men into space. And we cannot forget the men who worked with them: God rest his soul, John Glenn.”
“This story is about what happens when we put our differences aside, and we come together as a human race, we win,” she concluded. “Love wins every time.”
